ABSTRACT
Princes of Transylvania had to act, and gain acknowledgement from their European peers as sovereign rulers, while concurrently accept being treated as the sultan's subjects by the Ottomans. The similarities between the audiences granted for Habsburg and for Transylvanian envoys at Buda therefore have to be an important aspect of this analysis: in order to understand fully the status of the Transylvanian princes in an Ottoman context, it is essential to compare an inter-state and an intra-state diplomatic ceremonial at such a provincial centre. In Istanbul, too, Habsburg and Transylvanian diplomats were handled differently with regards to the act of kissing hands. Transylvanian envoys like those of another tributary state, Ragusa, kissed not only the sultan's hands, but also those of the most important office-holders of the empire during their audience at the grand vizier's divan. Granting kaftans was an integral element of Ottoman diplomatic practice at the Sublime Porte—even if there it took place before the audience.
